TUMZ Chapter 24
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Zhuang Hanxue lay in the hospital for two days before finally recovering from his fever and being discharged.
As soon as he got home, his mother started nagging him: “Look at you! You’ve been running around outside for so many years, looking like neither a man nor a ghost, and you’ve finally decided to come back…”
“Was it tiring out there? You’ve gotten so skinny—it’s obvious you haven’t been eating well.”
“Hasn’t it been tough on you?”
With teary eyes, Zhuang Hanxue played the victim: “Yeah, I couldn’t eat my fill, couldn’t dress warmly, and I was always getting sick. Mom, can you give me some pocket money?”
His mother handed him a card and said grumpily, “The password is 123456. Just take it.”
Zhuang Hanxue’s eyes lit up. “Mom, how much is in here?”
His mother said, “A little over three hundred thousand.”
Zhuang Hanxue was instantly disappointed. “Huh? Only three hundred thousand?”
His mother flicked his forehead. “What do you mean ‘only’ three hundred thousand? You’re really complaining? That’s more than enough for you to spend for a while.”
It was enough to last him a long time.
But it wasn’t enough to save Xiao Qiu’s company.
Zhuang Hanxue scratched his head in frustration. He had already promised Xiao Qiu—if he couldn’t deliver, how could he face him?
After staying home for a day, he didn’t see his father, but that wasn’t much different from before he left.
During dinner, Zhuang Hanxue asked his mother, “Mom, where’s Dad?”
His mother’s face immediately darkened. “Don’t mention that old lecher! Where else could he be? Off with that tramp, of course! Hah, he’ll die with a woman on top of him sooner or later.”
Zhuang Hanxue: “Oh.”
His mother was only gentle with him for one day. The next day, she turned hostile again, finding fault with everything he did. “Oh, what ‘oh’? You’re not a kid anymore—use your brain a little. Why did you even come back? You’d better help me teach those shameless adulterers a lesson. He went behind my back and had such a big child, didn’t he? He just wants to secure his future, huh? Thinking a child from another woman can spend my money? Hah! That little bastard is only eighteen. You better not lose to some snot-nosed kid.”
Zhuang Hanxue sighed inwardly. Ugh, what kind of messy, melodramatic soap opera family feud was this?
Besides, just because someone got older didn’t mean they got smarter. He certainly hadn’t.
But if he wanted access to enough funds, there was no way around it—he had to go back to the company.
He’d start there and see how things went.
Just then, his little master messaged him: [Zhuang Hanxue, what’s going on? I’ve been in closed-door training for the past few days and haven’t been online. Why did you quit streaming? Is it because of your boyfriend?]
Zhuang Hanxue replied nonchalantly: [I couldn’t borrow enough money, so I had no choice but to go home and inherit the family business.]
Little Master: [???]
Zhuang Hanxue was also puzzled: [You didn’t know about my family background? Your dad didn’t tell you? My family isn’t as rich as yours, but we’ve got a bit of money…]
Little Master: [Wait a sec, I’ll go ask my dad.]
Ten minutes later, the little master came back with a reply: [Damn! Turns out your family is super rich! Why didn’t you go home earlier?]
Zhuang Hanxue: [Because if I go home to inherit the family business, I’ll just get locked up again. Who knows, they might even force a wife on me to have kids. And besides, I’m so dumb—how am I supposed to run such a big company? I’d just mess it up.]
He felt that people should have self-awareness. If he wasn’t capable, then he just wasn’t.
If this were a corporate drama, he’d probably be the classic foolish spendthrift villain—the kind that runs the company into bankruptcy within six months. That’s why he had always played it safe and stuck to his role: spending money. And he wasn’t even reckless with it; at the rate he was going, he wouldn’t be able to burn through the family fortune in eight lifetimes.
Sometimes, he really couldn’t understand his parents. Sure, they had made some money now, but his great-grandfather’s generation were still hardworking farmers, plowing the land to survive. So why were they acting like they had a throne to pass down? Talking about bloodline and all that nonsense—what kind of bloodline did they even have?
His family had three kids.
His older brother and sister were model students growing up. He was different—his grades were mediocre at best, nowhere near as outstanding as his siblings.
Whenever his parents looked at his test scores, they would shake their heads and say, "Your brother is so accomplished, your sister is so talented," and then sigh, "Why are you so useless?"
How would he know? He had the same parents, so why was he the dumb one?
Out of curiosity, Zhuang Hanxue went to gather some information about his father’s illegitimate son.
He was fine not knowing, but once he found out, he was shocked.
This kid was no joke.
At eighteen, he had just gotten into a top university, immediately became the student council vice president, had stellar grades and an impressive GPA. Even his ID photo showed a sharp and handsome young man.
Remembering his mother’s orders, Zhuang Hanxue suddenly felt troubled. How was he supposed to compete with that?
But since he was an adult, his mother wasted no time and dragged him straight to the company, shoving him into the board of directors.
Zhuang Hanxue really wanted to transfer money to Xiao Qiu immediately, but that would be way too obvious. He had to find a more discreet way to do it.
_
Zhuang Hanxue wasn’t around.
Qiu Zheyan had been struggling to sleep alone.
He realized that he had already gotten used to being held by Zhuang Hanxue while sleeping.
These past few days, he felt restless, unable to fully focus on work.
He knew that Zhuang Hanxue had gone back to his parents’ house.
But Zhuang Hanxue had never told him where that was, nor had he introduced him to his parents. Every time Qiu Zheyan tried to ask, Zhuang Hanxue would brush it off or change the subject.
As long as he didn’t have an answer, it felt like a fishbone was stuck in his chest, impossible to ignore.
Yesterday, Zhuang Hanxue was still excitedly whispering to him: "Xiao Qiu, just hold on for two more days. The hard times are almost over! Half of it is already done, and I don’t think the rest will be a problem."
Qiu Zheyan, feeling troubled, asked: "Where exactly did you go to get this investment?"
Zhuang Hanxue vaguely replied: "I have a relative, a really rich one… I went to sweet-talk her into investing in you."
Qiu Zheyan asked: "Is this relative of yours male or female?"
Zhuang Hanxue said: "Female."
Qiu Zheyan asked solemnly: "Be honest with me. Is she really a relative or an ex-girlfriend?"
Zhuang Hanxue burst into laughter: "What are you even thinking? She’s really a relative! A blood-related relative!"
Qiu Zheyan was half-convinced, half-doubtful. If Zhuang Hanxue really had such a powerful relative, then why hadn’t he arranged an easy, well-paid job for himself long ago? Why did he have to struggle in poverty when they first met?
A few days later, Zhuang Hanxue said he had found a job and was going back to work. Since he couldn’t take calls during working hours, they could only talk at night.
Qiu Zheyan was frustrated: "Why didn’t you tell me you were looking for a job? You could’ve worked at my company. Why did you have to go back home for a job?"
Zhuang Hanxue said: "It’s that relative I mentioned. She insisted that I work at her company. Since I’m asking her for help, I have to give something in return, right?"
Qiu Zheyan felt like he was going crazy from missing Zhuang Hanxue.
They could only talk at night, and even then, only for a short time.
Zhuang Hanxue would hide under his blanket, lowering his voice to talk, making it feel like a pair of high schoolers secretly dating.
Qiu Zheyan asked what was going on, and Zhuang Hanxue explained: "I can’t let my parents know I’m dating a man yet. I told you before—when my brother came out, things got ugly. If he hadn’t run fast enough, my dad would have broken his legs."
Qiu Zheyan had no choice but to endure it for now. "Lazybone, when are you coming back? I miss you so much."
Zhuang Hanxue whispered into the phone, as if speaking directly into his ear: "Once I settle things here, I’ll come back."
He murmured secretly, "Xiao Qiu, I miss you too."
Qiu Zheyan realized he had underestimated Zhuang Hanxue.
He had always thought that Zhuang Hanxue wouldn’t survive without him.
Yet now, after just a short separation, it was he who felt like he couldn’t go on.
He had been too arrogant.
Without him, Zhuang Hanxue still lived a carefree life.
But with Zhuang Hanxue gone, his home felt colder, as if the temperature had dropped. There was no more annoying, boisterous laughter, no more shameless grins—it was too quiet.
Qiu Zheyan confided in a friend about his unease.
His friend asked: "Are you sure he hasn’t just run away? We didn’t say anything before because you were clearly too smitten, but do you really know this guy? Where was he born? What are his parents’ names? What jobs has he had? What’s his dating history? Has he ever told you any of this?"
"A single man his age going back home to work and settle down—it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?"
Qiu Zheyan asked: "What do you mean?"
His friend said: "It means he’s planning to turn straight, get married, and have kids. That’s just how straight guys are."
Qiu Zheyan, slightly angry, retorted: "No way! If that were the case, he wouldn’t still be contacting me! He never told me he wanted to break up."
His friend said: "That just makes it worse, doesn’t it? It means he wants both. A wife and kids, but also you. Think about it—he won’t even tell you where he lives or works now. If he got married back home and then secretly came back to see you, what could you even do? Plenty of people pull this kind of stunt—it’s nothing new."
Qiu Zheyan firmly declared: "But he loves me! He really loves me! He’s so lazy, yet he’s been working for free just to help me, and he’s given me all his money!"
His friend said: "Maybe he really does love you. But loving you is one thing. Being forced to get married is another."
Even though Qiu Zheyan knew he should trust Zhuang Hanxue, he still couldn’t stop the panic rising in his heart.
He couldn’t accept the idea of Zhuang Hanxue marrying a woman, yet he felt it was all too possible—especially given how his parents saw homosexuality as a monstrous sin, even willing to sever ties with their talented eldest son over it.
And Zhuang Hanxue—so soft, so weak—was 99.9% unlikely to defy them.
Zhuang Hanxue still hadn’t come back.
But on the business front, things were improving.
A venture capital firm suddenly reached out, expressing interest in their company’s project and wanting to invest.
After an initial negotiation, Qiu Zheyan had to take a business trip to S City. Apparently, the big boss of the firm had personally designated their company for cooperation, so Qiu Zheyan was going to thank them in person.
That must be the ‘relative’ Zhuang Hanxue mentioned, Qiu Zheyan thought. Just how many secrets is that guy hiding?
The day before his departure, Qiu Zheyan informed Zhuang Hanxue.
Qiu Zheyan asked: "Are you in S City right now?"
Zhuang Hanxue admitted cheerfully: "Yep!"
He said happily: "We can finally meet tomorrow!"
Qiu Zheyan thought to himself—he was more eager to see Zhuang Hanxue than he was to finalize the business deal.
After hanging up, Zhuang Hanxue opened his wardrobe, carefully picking out clothes and accessories.
What should I wear to meet Xiao Qiu?
I should dress up a bit, right?
T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi for more updates🍊🍊🍊
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